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My
research interests comprise three broad areas: pornography's
effects on relationship satisfaction; Latino mental health and
service utilization; and improved clinical decision-making through
improved assessment methodology.
Pornography's effects on relationship satisfaction
I have
been exploring the effects of pornography on romantic
relationships. Some of the research questions I have been
asking include: How do women interpret their male partner's
pornography use? How do couples use sexually explicit
materials, and how does this use relate to dyadic and sexual
satisfaction? How common is compulsive pornography use?
What therapeutic strategies can psychologists use to assist couples
who present as distressed over such use?
Latino mental health and service utilization
Latinos are the fastest-growing minority group in the United States. However, they
underutilize medical and psychological health services, despite
similar rates of psychiatric problems and stressors. I have
been interested in understanding factors that interfere with
initial service utilization, remaining in treatment, and obtaining
positive outcomes. Once these barriers are more fully
understood, I intend to use this knowledge to increase appropriate,
culturally-sensitive, and timely access to services for this
population.
Assessment methodology
Assessment is one of the benchmark activities of clinical
psychologists. However, assessment instruments and methods of
data collection, combination, and interpretation are
psychometrically flawed, often profoundly so. I have been
working on identifying factors that relate to the evaluation of assessment
tools for clinical use and the interpretation of assessment data,
with the goal of offering a series of decision-making tools for
clinical use.
Representative
Publications
Bridges, A.J., Bergner, R.M., &
Hesson-McInnis, M. (2003). Romantic partner's use of pornography:
Its significance for women. Journal of Sex and Marital
Therapy, 29, 1-14.
Bergner, R.M., & Bridges, A.J. (2002). The significance of
heavy pornography involvement for romantic partners: Research and
clinical implications. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy,
28, 193-206.
Wosnitzer, R., & Bridges, A.J. (2007, May). Aggression and
Sexual Behavior in Best-Selling Pornography: A Content Analysis
Update. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the
International
Communication Association, San Francisco, CA.
Bridges, A.J., & de Arellano, M.A. (2007). Trauma exposure,
mental health, and service utilization rates among immigrant and
US-born Latino youth: Results from the Hispanic Family Study.
Unpublished manuscript.
Bridges, A.J., & Holler, K.A. (in press). How many is
enough? Determining optimal sample sizes for normative
studies in pediatric neuropsychology. Child
Neuropsychology.
Useful Links
Lab Webpage
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